THE power of feeling safe

In 2024, #OnwardHebrew commissioned a study in which two researchers interviewed 22 fifth, sixth and seventh graders from four different #OnwardHebrew “All In” synagogue programs. The goal was to discover what children had to say about their Hebrew learning.
 
Among the themes uncovered by the researchers was that children reported that Hebrew learning was a “safe” endeavor. Yes, safe. Quite a few students indicated that they did not feel judged by their Hebrew teachers, nor did they feel stressed when learning Hebrew. [But,] developing students’ personal sense of safety is not explicitly mentioned in #OnwardHebrew’s guidance documents and professional development materials... 

So, what can we make of the conclusion that #OnwardHebrew’s approach lowers the tension and stress felt often in learning situations? There are traditional Hebrew teaching practices that #OnwardHebrew programs ignore, as well as practices baked into the sound-to-print / rich Hebrew environment approach that likely lead to the learners’ feelings of safety. 

Click on the PDF, below, to read this full blogpost.

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